A very good read about what it was like flying a Spitfire during the Battle of Britain along with the aircraft data card from Axis and Allies: Angels 20
Plans for the Axis and Allies Battle of Britain project received a welcome boost on several fronts over the weekend.
To begin with I received the shipping notice advising me that my 6ft by 4ft plain hexed blue cloth is en route. The mat features hexes that are 4” across the flat sides and I am hoping that the shade of blue used will enable me to fight both aerial and naval games. I opting for a plan mat so no waves or clouds etc - just a piece of blue cloth. There are some wonderful fully detailed gaming mats available and they look splendid but I wanted a plain version as I believe it will suit the appearance of my simple looking ship models more effectively. Simple paint job - simple terrain!
The final two starter sets of Angels 20 arrived so I now have all the aircraft I need for the first wave. As mentioned previously this consists of the following:
4 x Spitfire
8 x Hurricane
4 x Me110C
8 x BF109E
The RAF will be represented by 609 squadron (Spitfire), 303 squadron and 242 squadron - both flying Hurricanes. For the Luftwaffe I will be using 8/ZG 26 for the 110s and 9/JG 26 for the 109s. The decals for these are currently being produced in the US and for sure they will be on the blog when ready.
Finally, I have ordered in a couple of Vallejo paint sets - one for the RAF and one for the Luftwaffe - for the brushwork.
The models come pre-painted but I really want to put my own stamp on them. Originally I wanted to paint the Luftwaffe aircraft in the scheme used in the film The Battle of Britain but had a change of heart, so historical it will be.
The two Hurricanes units I have raised (each of four models) more or less picked themselves as to the formations represented - 303 was of course the Polish squadron whilst 242 was largely manned by Canadians under the redoubtable Douglas Bader. The Spitfires of 609 squadron came about largely due to the book you see in the picture above that was kindly given to me Mr Fox some time ago. Aside from being a cracking read, having the same name as the author was a coincidence too tempting to ignore! To the best of my knowledge though, he was no relation!
Hmm, the title got me, good stuff!
ReplyDeleteFor a moment when I saw the photo I thought you had branched out into being a military history author! This project is certainly gaining steam or more aptly spreading its wings. BTW where did you order your hexed blue mat from?
ReplyDeleteHi Geordie,
ReplyDeleteWaterloo, Zulu and the Battle of Britain - all three have a special place in my wargaming history and I suspect that I am not alone in this!
All the best,
DC
Hiya Steve J,
ReplyDeleteSadly not but I have to say it is a very good read. Crook is a very common name so I am confident that his strain of Crook is far removed from mine but the coincidence was too good to turn down!
My mat was from Tinywargames - I opted for the premium cloth version - and should be with me anytime soon. I will show it on the blog but the colour may not be a true representation of the real thing. I am definitely excited about it though and will look to christen it with a game at the earliest opportunity!
All the best,
DC